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A landmark immigration deal between the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and labor groups was supposed to have settled the sides' differences over low-skilled worker visas, paving the way for sweeping reform. Now, though, some industry figures say they'll lobby against the compromise deal. One major sticking point: a planned 200,000 cap on visas for low-skilled workers, which labor groups had pushed for but which construction industry officials and others now say is "unrealistic and destined to fail."

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The issue of increasing work visas for low-skilled workers as part of immigration reform is a complicated one as studies report conflicting results on the impact of immigrant labor on American jobs. "[Immigrants] are not taking jobs from Americans because there are not sufficient Americans applying for jobs," Hardee's CEO Andrew Puzder said.

Franchise businesses support the immigration reform bill but are lobbying for an increase in the availability of low-skilled worker visas needed to fill jobs in the growing industry. The bill includes 20,000 three-year low-skilled visas and up to 75,000 in the fourth year, but IFA's Jay Perron said the bill should include at least 150,000 visas per year. "You're going to fill that quota in less than a month. That's just not going to cut it," he said.

The IFA and 24 other business groups wrote to lawmakers this week, saying an immigration reform bill must include a large amount of visas for low-skilled workers. According to the letter, the proposed visa cap of 200,000 visas per year is too small and the 15,000 visas for construction jobs would be harmful to that industry.

The immigration reform discussions by business groups, labor unions and the "Gang of Eight" bipartisan group of senators is sound but does not go far enough for guest workers, IFA President and CEO Steve Caldeira said. Caldeira expressed concern the low-skilled worker cap of 20,000 visas is too small and would account for less than one-tenth of the workforce needed by the franchise and construction industries. "In our industry, we added 150,000 jobs last year, we are forecasted to add 162,000 jobs this year but yet we can't find the workers to meet the forecasted demand moving forward," he said.

Big business and big labor groups settled an agreement last week to create an immigration reform framework that would provide 10,000 visas to low-skilled workers, secure the border, enforce regulations on employers, improve the legal immigration process and create a 13-year pathway to citizenship for the current immigrant population. However, IFA Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy Jay Perron voiced the industry group's frustration with the agreement, stating at least 100,000 visas are needed to make the policy effective.